Urinalysis is a common procedure for diagnosis or monitoring of a patient's condition. The procedure has become routine in general physical examinations and large numbers of urine specimens are taken and analyzed or otherwise examined in hospital and clinical laboratories.
In producing the specimen, it is desirable that container means be provided which can be held and filled conveniently and which will shield the patient's hand against spillage and protect the sample against contamination. Since disease may be contracted from the urine of patients suffering from the disease, it is very important that the laboratory technician handling the specimen container be protected against spillage of the urine upon the skin. To guard against the hazard of spilling, the container should have a broad base so that it rests stably upon a supporting surface and is not easily tipped over.
Preferably, the specimen containers should be simple and inexpensive so that they may be discarded after a single use. The bodies and the caps should be nestable for convenient and efficient storage pending use.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a patient urine specimen container which incorporates shielding to protect the hand of the patient while taking the sample and to protect the hands of laboratory technicians in handling the specimen. It is a further object to provide such a container which may be held securely in the hand by both the patient and the laboratory technician and which will rest stably upon a supporting surface.
Further objects and achievements of the invention will become apparent as the description thereof proceeds.